Stealth priestess - "Ban on women priests leads to false image of God"

According to Catholic doctrine, there should be no female priests. Female theology students in Freiburg have applied nonetheless. One of the young theologians hopes that the new Pope Leo XIV will initiate changes.

Freiburg theologian Vera Fath wants to send a message against gender discrimination with her application to become a Catholic priest. "The Catholic Church excludes a large part of humanity from important positions; this contradicts human rights," Fath said on Deutschlandfunk on Monday. Together with eight other female students, she applied to the Freiburg seminary a few days ago.

Theologian Fath

The fact that only men are ordained as priests in the Catholic Church ultimately leads, in Fath's view, to a one-sided view of God. Taking this further, she criticized, this means that Jesus died on the cross as a man and therefore only redeemed men.

The theology student expressed her expectation that Pope Leo XIV will take further steps toward equal rights for women in the Catholic Church. "Perhaps he will advance the Church in this area, something his predecessor, Francis, hasn't yet dared to do. I hope that Leo will stand up for a more just Church."

Online solidarity

For decades, reform Catholics have been fighting against the ban on ordination of women. Not only in Germany. But Catholic canon law makes it clear that only men, as successors to Jesus' male disciples, may become priests. Opponents of liberalization also point out that large parts of the worldwide Catholic Church do not want change at all.

The young Freiburg theologians are unwilling to let this deter them. Under the motto "My God does not discriminate – my Church does," they are active on Instagram. There, they document excerpts from their application letters, for example. Most recently, they met with the head of the Freiburg seminary and Auxiliary Bishop Christian Würtz for a lengthy discussion.

The priesthood candidates are receiving a great deal of online solidarity. The Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Freiburg also supports her position, stating that there are no convincing scientific reasons against the ordination of female priests.

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